OH picked some blackberries in the lane and took the apples off the tree before the squirrels and birds ate them. I had a box of pastry in the fridge and made a sort of blackberry and apple strudel. But it looked a bit bulky when made, so i sliced it up and baked like chelsea buns. Very tasty!

I use Tamasin Day Lewis' scone recipe http://wildfood.info/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=14254 ... I added a generous handful of grated parmesan and the same of strong cheddar .... and sprinkled a little cheese and cayenne pepper on top before baking.

Thanks Suffs, very interesting thread which I seemed to have missed, (or forgotten)....will read carefully. I visited an old neighbour today with some garden produce, and she did mention that she loved my cheese scones, which I must have given her ages ago. So, must make another batch, and make sure they are good...

Hi Herbie. They last for at least a couple of weeks. I suppose you could also bottle them ( cover them in olive oil) and they might last longer.From the man himself: Confit tomatoesThis is a brilliant way to prepare tomatoes. It needs the best quality, in-season tomatoes available - no ifs or buts! The actual preparation is quick and easy; then it's just a matter of leaving the tomatoes in the oven until they are cooked. The other advantage is that it can be made in larger batches, as the tomatoes keep well covered in olive oil and stored in the fridge in an airtight container. They are absolutely delicious on their own, but can also be used for a whole range of things, from sandwiches to pasta, either as they are or pounded into a paste.

Cut each basil leaf in half, break up the sprigs of thyme and cut up the bayleaves. Bring a pan of water to the boil and have ready a bowl of ice-cold water.

Meanwhile, using the tip of a small, sharp knife, remove the core from each tomato and, on the opposite end, make a small cross. Drop into the boiling water, no more than three at a time, for 10 seconds, then remove and plunge into the cold water to stop them cooking further. It is important that they are not left in the boiling water for too long, or they will become soft and watery. Once cool, peel the tomatoes (the skins should come off easily; if they do not, return to the boiling water for a few seconds more).

Cut the peeled tomatoes in half and, with a teaspoon, scoop out the seeds (these can be reserved for another use). Dab the tomatoes with kitchen paper, to soak up any excess moisture. If you have the time, leave them at room temperature, cut side down, on more kitchen towel for a couple of hours, to extract even more moisture.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 110C. Generously brush the tomatoes with olive oil and lay them on a baking sheet or oven tray, cut side up. In the cavity of each tomato, put a slice of garlic, and a little basil, bay and thyme. Season with salt, pepper and sugar, and bake for about four hours, turning halfway through - the cooking time will vary depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes.

When ready, the tomatoes will be a vibrant red and slightly wrinkled, and will have a wonderfully aromatic aroma. Leave them to cool before placing them in a jar along with the excess herbs and any oil from the tray. Pour over olive oil to cover, and store in the fridge until needed. These tomatoes are delicious in sandwiches, salads, chopped up in pasta, or just about anything, really - as is the oil in which they are stored.

Thanks very much! I picked another load of mailnly Tigerllas today (in general the tomatoes they are now so ripe they are splitting and falling off and/or being eaten by snails so...) so I shall turn them into these asap.

I just did a lot for a course I gave yesterday. If you´ve got Instagram, look for @clivemasala and I posted a step-by-step photographic account of how to make them. It´s all in Spanish, but I think a picture means a thousand words.

Just about enough chairs ... OH did the rounds of the neighbouring houses borrowing garden chairs etc, and some people brought their own .... I said on Cbox earlier that it was a "...fantastic tea party ... the garden room (and garden) has been well and truly christened and £155+ raised for Macmillan nursing. Several members of the ukelele orchestra gave an impromptu concert/singalong in the marquee at the end of the garden and the weather was kind to us. A former Devonian butcher pronounced my sausage rolls 'the best he had ever tasted in his long life' and several people asked how I make my scones as they were 'so light and didn't have that baking powder taste' I'm decidedly chuffed and OH had to help me get swollen head through the doorway ..."

We had a lovely time ... and nearly everything was back as it should be by the time we left ... only the crockery left to put away in cupboards ... and as MIL said, if that's not done until next week what does it matter?

I've baked an iced lemon traybake for the McMillan coffee morning at work on Friday. The icing is very lemony and the cake probably will be too, zest in the cake and a bit of lemon syrup drizzled over before icing. I do like a lemon cake to be nice and lemony, hope others agree. It is a bit on the ugly side though, decorating is not my forte .

Sun is out so the oven is going on today..... Halibut will be poached in oven, layered tatos with thyme and garlic with cream, Mum's malt loaf, some roast BNS, chocolate cake and maybe some sort of biscuits or muffins. That should keep us going next week.

Today has seen the cherry madeira cake, that I promised hubby last weekend, made. It's Nigella's recipe from her Domestic Goddess book with added glace cherries. It looks nice but not tried it yet. Can't use some recipes because of ground almonds, nuts bring hubby out in spots.

Somehow bread didn't make it onto our shopping list yesterday, so as we always have some bread flour and yeast in the cupboard, rather than go down to the shops for just one thing, I made a loaf ... I usually use one third white to two thirds wholemeal, but I didn't have any strong white flour so this is 100% wholemeal ...now it's cooled it's made a very good cheese and pickle sandwich for lunch

Quite pleased with that

When the children were young I made all our bread and it was usually 100% wholemeal ... I'd forgotten just how good it tastes

Some for supper, some for the freezer. Not Cornish 'cos they were made in Norfolk and the filling is a mix of Aberdeen Angus minced beef, with chopped carrot, onion, potato and a few peas ... a good sprinkling of white pepper and a pinch of salt.

I've got a pack of shortcrust pastry in the fridge which I was going to freeze (I use it for GD to make things, I make my own when making proper things). Now I'm thinking how lovely those pasties look ,,,,

In my usual way of playing about. I made the Tamasin Day Lewis/Suffolk plain scones with added sugar and sultanas for fruit scones and another batch with cheese and paprika. Both seem to have been accepted by the others.

Wholemeal sourdough. A friend had given me a packet of Lev Blé - dry sourdough starter. It worked fine, though didn't rise much. Looks like a normal loaf. Next time I'll knead less and increase proving time.

Every day is a good day, it's just that some days are better than others.

It's a no bake chocolate dream cake. I am not sure if you guys have heard of it but basically it looks like ice cream in a tin can but if you eat break it off using a spoon, chocolate fudge comes out of it. Best of all, no bake! Not sure if I can pull it off since I haven't created cake without baking before but wish me luck!

Talking of chocolate I made a batch of brownies yesterday using granulated sugar instead of caster and they were fine!

I had wondered as all the recipes I looked at to see what the variations were use either caster or soft brown ... I softened the butter and the sugar before adding everything else, instead of what I usually do which is melt the butter and the chocolate together in a bowl before adding that to the other ingredients. My family said they were the best ever - but maybe that was because I haven't made them for such ages

i think i could count the bags of caster sugar i've bought, over the years, on one hand. i almost always use granulated - and if i've thought that it really would be better with caster, i've put the granulated in a blender/food processor.

i think i could count the bags of caster sugar i've bought, over the years, on one hand. i almost always use granulated - and if i've thought that it really would be better with caster, i've put the granulated in a blender/food processor.